Arch Support Is Not From Shoes
Friday, February 23, 2007
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
It is commonly taught in gyms, medical schools, aerobics certification programs, and footwear stores all over the US, that shoes or orthotics are necessary to hold up your arches. That is a fallacy. The needed support should come from your own foot muscles. How do you do this?
- Stand up with both feet parallel, pointing straight ahead.
- Allow your body weight to slump downward, pressing your arches against the floor (left hand photo). You will notice that your arches flatten, reducing the arch, not because there is something wrong with your arches, but simply because you allowed it.
- Next, use the muscles on the outsides of your ankles and legs to gently shift your weight more to the soles of your feet and off your arch (right hand photo). Don't tilt completely to the side or stand on the sides of your feet, just shift enough to lift your arches from the floor.
- Now you can see that having arch support is the same as having neck support by using your upper body muscles to stop slouching. Pull your chin inward gently right now to remind yourself of this.
See fun posts on foot and ankle health:
Healthy Toe Stretches and Unhealthy Yoga Ankles and my web site page Inspiring Patient Stories for a first-hand account of someone who fixed a lifetime of pain and pronation by simply stopping the cause - letting ankles and feet sag. By simply holding healthy positions during your normal day, you can get free built in exercise for your feet and ankles, and better health. See the book, "Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery" for how to have healthy arches and foot support.
Photo copyright by Jolie from the book Healthy Martial Arts.
Labels: ankle, arches, feet, fix pain, myths, orthotics, pronation, shoes
3 Comments:
At Thursday, March 01, 2007 3:34:00 PM,
Kate said…
Dr. Bookspan,
I have your book and find in invaluable.
I am doing my traps and pec stretch. I don't let my feet pronate.
However, the final obstacle that I am having difficulty with is a very tight QL on only one side which is pulling me into a pseudo-scoliosis.
I am doing hip flexor stretches and stretching the tight QL, but I seem to be locked into a tilted stance.
Can standing habitually with your weight on one leg -- a typical "female" stance and always crossing your legs when you sit, both bad habits which I have stopped, contribute to this type of imbalance? I also suspect too much driving / sitting and weak core.
Any thoughts?
At Monday, March 05, 2007 11:45:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD said…
Kate, excellent work understanding how a tight quadratus lumborum (QL) is a common thing confused for scoliosis, and for astutely calling it pseudo-scoliosis. We can easily fix this.
The quadratus muscle goes from the top of your hip (where you can rest a package or your hand) up your side, usually to your bottom rib and lower spine. The quadratus is called the "hip hiker" because one of the things it does is lift up your hip on that side, or bend you sideways to that side, just as you mention.
My Stretching Smarter book has specific stretches for this. I'm guessing you have the "Fix Your Own Pain" book? Use the Trapezius stretch on page 20 and again on page 125, plus the side hip stretches on pages 173 and 174. The trapezius stretch will help greatly. Do it first thing in the morning and many times during the day. Make sure not to bend forward - stand with your back and the back of your head against a wall while doing the trapezius stretch. I have been meaning to cover this great and often overlooked stretch in the Fitness Fixer blog. Thank you for reminding me.
If you stand bent to that side, as you mention, that will keep the quadratus muscle tight and short. The main thing is to stretch it functionally - that means not standing that way, even if pulled there. By standing straight (upright, not tilted), you should feel a stretch, pulling it into healthier resting length. Start with these three things (trap stretch, side hip stretch, and functional built-in stretch) and let me know. Don't worry. You're doing great.
At Monday, March 05, 2007 12:10:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD said…
second half of reply to Kate-
The phrase "weak" core is thrown around a lot, meaninglessly. Having muscles will not stop the muscles from being tight. Strengthening does not stop anyone from standing tilted or with bad positioning, and does not stop back pain (regardless of claims in muscle magazines). Plenty of body builders have back pain and terrible posture, regardless of all their muscles, as do all the instructors of aerobics and Pilates and yoga who come to me for back pain. Many non-muscular people stand fine and have no pain or tightness. You can have both - be strong and pain-free. Just remember that one does not cause the other. The claim that strong core will hold you in the right posture that will prevent QL tightness (or any other) is unfounded.
Standing with weight shifted to one side (also covered in the Fix Pain book p 174-5) isn't typically female. Guys slump that way too. If anyone spends most of their time with that hip pushed up to that side, it can probably shorten. Use the functional standing I mentioned in the previous reply and have fun.
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